Boston - Present Day

Tilda Harper is living her dream. She is independent, lives in Boston, and works freelance as an entertainment reporter. One of her most popular works is the "Where are They Now" articles for the popular Entertain Me magazine. From The Brady Bunch to Kissing Cousins, people love to know what the stars are doing now. Because this is Tilda’s bread and butter, she always delivers the goods. But as cynical as she tries to appear, she harbors a secret love for one corny series, Kissing Cousins. This series ran for three seasons, and it was a cross between The Brady Bunch and The Adams Family. As an awkward, geeky teenager, Tilda or Matilda, her real name, identified with the character Mercy, who could be described as geeky pre-Goth. Tilda becomes obsessed with finding her. But after the publication of her article called The Curse of The Kissing Cousin, characters from the series start turning up dead.

Vincent Peters is the ultimate Kissing Cousins’ fan; he even has a website dedicated to the Cousins, and is a probable conspiracy buff. He is also a great source of inside info for Tilda. So, when Sherry, the perky cheerleader, is found murdered, Vincent feels that there could be a serial killer, and he predicts that Mercy will be next. Tilda begins to believe that there is a serial killer. Nobody has seen Mercy since she walked off a movie set years ago. Could Mercy be the killer? Has Tilda’s spotlight on The Kissing Cousins curse enraged a killer? Tilda begins to get nervous thinking somebody is following her.

After attending Sherry’s funeral and coming up with zilch, Tilda re-visits the mementos she has saved from the '70’s. In looking through old albums, she discovers a picture of Mercy and a young boy at a parade. After talking with her old mentor, Sophia, she discovers the name of the security protecting Mercy that day, Tolomeo Personal Protection. Of course, Tilda pays them a visit. When she meets the grandson of the owner, Nick, who was the boy in the picture, plus a Mercy fan, the room heats up. Maybe she has found a clue, plus a little romance?

WITHOUT MERCY is a well written thriller. Tilda’s determination to find Mercy borders on obsession. As she dives into finding her, Tilda stumbles into danger and finds herself in a new relationship that she was not looking for. Does Mercy need some personal protection from Tony? Will Tilda lead a killer to Mercy? Or, as Tilda learns, there is a reason when somebody does not want to be found, but what is it?

Secondary characters add zest to the story. All are a bit eclectic with their own skeletons in the closet, and all seem to know more than they are willing to divulge, with good reason.

Author Toni Kelner has taken a page from her heroine, Tilda; she delivers the goods. Besides publishing many short stories, Ms. Kelner is the author of the popular Laura Fleming mysteries. Her work has been nominated for the Agatha, the Anthony, and the Macavity awards.

I totally enjoyed this book; I was swept up in the suspense of Tilda’s adventures and her many misadventures. The ending may surprise you, as it did me. I look forward to reading more adventures of Tilda Harper, and so will you.

Deborah C. Jackson